Thomas M. Esposito
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Thomas M. Esposito Department of Astronomy Phone: 516-732-8989 University of California, Berkeley Email: [email protected] 501 Campbell Hall, MC #3411 Office: 605-P Campbell Hall Berkeley, CA 94720-3411 astro.berkeley.edu/∼tesposito Research Direct imaging of circumstellar debris disks and exoplanets. High-contrast imaging and Interests data reduction. Modeling planet-disk interaction and disk composition to explore plane- tary system evolution. Refining long-period transiting exoplanet ephemerides for detailed followup. Astronomical instrumentation and adaptive optics. Education University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA Ph.D., Astronomy, August 2015, Advisor: Prof. Michael Fitzgerald M.S., Astronomy, June 2011 Georgetown University, Washington, DC B.S., Physics, May 2008, Cum Laude, with Honors in Physics Research Postdoctoral Scholar, Astronomy Sep 2015{present Experience UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA Directly imaging and analyzing new circumstellar disks and giant exoplanets with the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES). Lead analyst of four-year GPIES debris disk polarimetric imaging survey. Coronagraphic observations with Keck NIRC2 and Hubble Space Telescope. Reduction of angular differential imaging data. High- dimensional MCMC modeling of planet-disk interaction and disk composition to indi- rectly detect planets and study early system evolution. NASA NExSS member. Research Assistant, Exoplanets Feb 2020{present SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA Lead analyst for exoplanet transit science with Unistellar Citizen Scientist network. Processing and analyzing light curves for exoplanet ephemeris measurements. Develop- ing Python pipeline for transits, asteroid occultations, and planetary defense. Graduate Student Researcher, Advisor: Prof. Michael Fitzgerald 2010{2015 UCLA, Los Angeles, CA Studied planetary system evolution through high-contrast imaging of debris disks and exoplanets. Developed a technique to forward model and correct for self-subtraction of extended emission in angular differential imaging. Member of the UCLA Infrared Laboratory and OSIRIS imager upgrade team. Selected *Esposito, T., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M. P., Millar-Blanchaer, M. A., Jul 2020 Publications Duch^ene,G., Patience, J., Hom, J., Perrin, M. D., De Rosa, R. J., and 58 coauthors. \Debris Disk Results from the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey's Polarimetric Imaging Campaign", 2020, The Astronomical Journal, Volume 160, Issue 1, 24 Hom, J., Patience, J., Esposito, T., Duch^ene,G., Worthen, K., Jan 2020 Kalas, P., Jang-Condell, H., Saboi, K., Arriaga, P., Mazoyer, J., and 50 coauthors. \First Resolved Scattered-light Images of Four Debris Disks in Scorpius-Centaurus with the Gemini Planet Imager", 2020, The Astronomical Journal, Volume 159, Issue 1, 31 De Rosa, R. J., Esposito, T., Hirsch, L. A., Nielsen, E. L., Marley, M. S., Dec 2019 Kalas, P., Wang, J. J., Macintosh, B. \The Possible Astrometric Signature of a Planetary- mass Companion to the Nearby Young Star TW Piscis Austrini (Fomalhaut B): Con- straints from Astrometry, Radial Velocities, and Direct Imaging", 2019, The Astronom- ical Journal, Volume 158, Issue 6, 225 *Esposito, T., Kalas, P., Rice, M., Choquet, E., Ren, B., Jul 2018 Perrin, M. D., Chen, C. H., Arriaga, P., Chiang, E., Nielsen, E., Duch^ene,G., and 47 coauthors. \Direct Imaging of the HD 35841 Debris Disk: A Polarized Dust Ring from Gemini Planet Imager and an Outer Halo from HST /STIS", 2018, The Astronomical Journal, Volume 156, Issue 2, 47 Ren, B., Dong, R., Esposito, T., Pueyo, L., Debes, J. H., Apr 2018 Poteet, C. A., Choquet, E., Benisty, M., Chiang, E., and 4 coauthors. \A Decade of MWC 758 Disk Images: Where Are the Spiral-arm-driving Planets?", 2018, The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 857, Issue 1, L9 Nielsen, E. L., De Rosa, R. J., Rameau, J., Wang, J. J., Esposito, T., Dec 2017 Millar-Blanchaer, M. A., Marois, C., Vigan, A., Ammons, S. M., and 49 coauthors. \Evidence that the Directly-Imaged Planet HD 131399 Ab is a Background Star", 2017, The Astronomical Journal, Volume 154, Issue 6, 218 Millar-Blanchaer, M. A., Esposito, T., Stahl, K., and 6 coauthors Sep 2017 \High-Contrast Observations of Circumstellar Disks with the Gemini Planet Imager's Polarimetry Mode", 2017, Proc. SPIE, Vol 10407, doi: 10.1117/12.2275823 *Esposito, T., Fitzgerald, M. P., Graham, J. R., Kalas, P., Lee, E. J., Oct 2016 Chiang, E., Duch^ene,G., Wang, J. J., Millar-Blanchaer, M. A., and 14 coauthors. \Bringing `The Moth' to Light: A Planet-Sculpting Scenario for the HD 61005 Debris Disk", 2016, The Astronomical Journal, Vol 152, Issue 4, 85 *Esposito, T. Aug 2015 \Exploring Planetary System Evolution Through High-Contrast Imaging", 2015, PhD Thesis, UCLA *Esposito, T., Fitzgerald, M. P., Kalas, P., Graham, J. R. Jan 2014 \Modeling Self-Subtraction in Angular Differential Imaging: Application to the HD 32297 Debris Disk", 2014, The Astrophysical Journal, 780, 25-43 Selected *Esposito, T., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M. P., and the GPIES team. Aug 2019 Presentations \Polarizing Planetary Systems: New Debris Disks Resolved on Solar System Scales by GPIES." Selected talk. Extreme Solar Systems IV, Reykjav´ık, Iceland *Esposito, T., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M. P., and the GPIES team. Apr 2019 \Debris Disk Results from the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey: Resolving Disks on Solar System Scales with Polarimetry." Invited Talk. Astrophysics Luncheon Semi- nar, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Ca~nadaFlintridge, CA *Esposito, T., Kalas, P., Fitzgerald, M. P., and the GPIES team. Jan 2019 \25 Debris Disks Resolved on Solar System Scales with the Gemini Planet Imager." Selected talk. 233rd Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA *Esposito, T., Rice, M., Duch^ene,G., Choquet, E., Ren, B., Perrin, M., Nov 2016 Follette, K. B., Arriaga, P., and the GPIES team. \A New Ring Around a Young Star Resolved with STIS and GPI." Selected talk. High-Contrast Imaging in Space, Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD *Esposito, T., Fitzgerald, M. P., Kalas, P., Graham, J. R., Jan 2015 Millar-Blanchar, M. A., and the GPIES team. \Exploring Planetary System Evolution Through High-Contrast Imaging." Selected talk. 225th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society, Seattle, WA Computer Languages: fluent in Python, Jupyter notebooks, LaTeX; experience with IDL, *nix, Skills SQL, C/C++, HTML, XML Methods: MCMC, Principal Component Analysis, multidimensional model fitting Software: git, subversion, SAO DS9, MySQL Workbench, Slack, emacs, Google Drive, Dropbox, Illustrator, Photoshop, Inkscape, Gimp Awards Best talk, 3rd prize. UCLA Earth & Space Sciences Student Apr 2013 Symposium, Los Angeles, CA UCLA Astronomy Division Fellowship 2009 Teaching Mentoring astronomy undergraduates Sep 2017{May 2018 Experience Astronomy Dept. mentoring program, UC Berkeley (abridged) Discussion section teaching assistant (TA) Winter 2014, Winter 2010 ASTR 115 - Statistical Mechanics & its Application to Astrophysics, UCLA Laboratory section TA Fall 2014, Fall 2009{Spring 2010 ASTR 3 - Nature of the Universe, UCLA Member of committee revising ASTR 3 lab curriculum, UCLA 2012{2013 Instructor, Optics for AO Systems laboratory Aug 2011 Adaptive Optics Summer School, Center for Adaptive Optics, UC Santa Cruz Co-advisor for summer REU student, UCLA Summer 2011 Lead TA Winter 2010 ASTR 3, UCLA Academic & Co-founder & Director, Astronomy Live! Summer Workshop Jan{Aug 2014 Professional UCLA, Los Angeles, CA Experience Led team of graduate students in creation, administration, and instruction of observa- tional astronomy workshop for high school juniors and seniors, focusing on underrepre- sented minorities. Students visited weekly for 8 weeks for lectures, telescope observing (including remotely with Lick Observatory 1-m), and individual data analysis projects. Coordinator, UCLA Planetarium & Telescopes Sep 2011{present UCLA, Los Angeles, CA Schedule public and private planetarium shows, select and create show content, main- tain equipment, present shows, maintain website and social media presence. Maintain six telescopes (up to 24 in.) and associated equipment. Institute for Scientist and Engineer Educators Mar{Aug 2011 Professional Development Program University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), Santa Cruz, CA Participant. Workshops on facilitating and designing inquiry-based learning activities. Redesigned and facilitated Fourier optics lab activity for Center for Adaptive Optics Summer School (Aug 2011). Adaptive Optics Summer School Aug 2010 Center for Adaptive Optics, UCSC, Santa Cruz, CA Participant. Advanced instrumentation and techniques for adaptive optics..